Medical apparatus for measuring blood sedimentation

ABSTRACT

A pipette carries on one end a connector for a tube and carries on the other end a radially projecting annular flange. The flanged end of the pipette is located within a beaker like container which is provided with a stop ring or stop dogs near its open end. The volume of the beaker like container is approximately double the volume of the pipette. The pipette is marked with graduations.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,910,103 Rose 1 Oct. 7, 1975 MEDICAL APPARATUS FOR MEASURING 3,718,133 2/1973 Perry et al 128/2 F BLOOD SEmMENTATION FOREIGN PATENTS 0 R APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor R0581 AugustAntzfstr- 213,305 5/1967 Sweden 73/6l.4

55 Trler-Ehrang, Germany [22] Filed: May 20, 1974 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Queisser Assistant Examiner-Joseph W. Roskos [21] Appl' 471,563 Attorney, Agent, or FirmRo bert W. Beach; R. M.

Van Winkle [30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 23, 1973 Germany 2326136 57 ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. 73/61.4; 23/230 B; 73/425.6; A Pipette Carries on one a connector for a tube 128/26 and carries on the other end a radially projecting an- 51 Int. Cl. G01N 15/04; GOlN 33/16 nular flange The flanged end of the Pipette is located 5 Field f Search n 73/614 61 R 4254 p within a beaker like container which is provided with 7 55; 23/230 13, 128/2 G, 2 F a stop ring or stop dogs near its open end. The volume of the beaker like container is approximately double 5 References Cited the volume of the pipette. The pipette is marked with UNITED STATES PATENTS graduamns- 3,373,601 3/1968 Monn 73/6l.4 3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975

MEDICAL APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BLOOD SEDIMENTATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an apparatus for measuring blood sedimentation utilizing a pipette which is provided with a transparent wall and graduations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to use for blood-sedimentation measurements a blood-sedimentation pipette into which a mixture of 3.8% sodium citrate and blood, which has been taken from a patient from a vein by means of a syringe, is sucked from a mixing container. With these known blood-sedimentation pipettes there is the danger of the tester receiving infected blood in his mouth when sucking on the pipette. Moreover, with the previously used blood-sedimentation method, it is complicated initially to mix in a separate container the sodium citrate solution, taken from a supply container, and a patients blood in a specific proportion and then to deliver the mixture to the blood-sedimentation pipette.

NATURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an apparatus for blood-sedimentation measurements which is simple in its construction, safe to operate and cheap to produce.

The invention accordingly provides medical apparatus for measuring blood sedimentation including a pipette which is provided with a transparent wall and a scale of graduations marked thereon. The outlet end of the pipette carries a radially outwardly projecting annular flange. The outlet end has an outlet aperture and projects into a beaker-like container whose inner wall surrounds said annular flange tightly. The container has adjacent to its upper edge internal stop dogs or a stop ring.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the beaker volume from its base to the stop dogs or stop ring is at least twice as great as the pipette volume.

In addition, the inlet end of the pipette may carry a cone or connector to which a tube can be connected.

With the help of apparatus in accordance with the invention, it is possible to conduct blood-sedimentation measurements in the same pipette in which the sodium citrate solution, which prevents blood coagulation, and the blood taken from the patient are mixed, and the blood coming from the tube passes into the pipette without decanting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The single FIGURE of the drawing is an axial section through the test apparatus according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EN[BODIMENT Medical apparatus for blood-sedimentation measurements comprises a sedimentation pipette l. The sedimentation pipette preferably has a bore of 3 mm diameter and a wall thickness of 2 mm. The sedimentation pipette is made from a transparent material, for example, glass or an extruded transparent plastic material. The wall of the sedimentation pipette is marked with a scale from O to 200 mm. Above the mark an excess contents space can be provided, but such space can be comparatively small since suction on the pipette is not performed with the mouth.

At its upper or inlet end, the pipette carries a connector 2 for the connection of a tube, not shown, for supplying fluid to the pipette. This connector can be applied as a press-fit or shrink-fit cap or be fastened into the bore of the pipette. The: connector can be made from the same material as the pipette or of a different material.

At its lowerend or outlet, the pipette has an radially outwardly projecting annular flange 3. The lower end of the pipette projects into a beaker-like container 4 which serves as a suction, mixing and pressure container. The inner wall of the beaker-like container 4 tightly surrounds the annular flange 3, so that the flange acts as a sealing ring. Near its upper, open end, the interior wall of the beaker-like container 4 carries a stop ring 5 or stop dogs. The volume of the beakerlike container 4 from the base to the stop dogs or stop ring 5 is at least double the volume of the pipette.

An annular mark 6 indicates the point which, measured from the upper end of the pipette, marks 20% of the total volume of the pipette. By way of example, the annular mark 6 is at 44 mm when the overall length of the pipette is 220 mm.

A blood sedimentation test can be carried out with the apparatus in accordance with the invention as follows:

First of all a tube is attached to the pipette connector 2, with flange 3 located in the bottom of container 4 as shown in the drawing; and sodium citrate solution is supplied to the pipette up to the annular mark 6 using suction created by pulling the beaker-like container 4. Then the doctor pierces the vein of the patient and completely fills the pipette by further pulling the beaker-like container. In this connection the flange 3 acts like a piston and forms an air-tight seal with the inner wall of the beaker-like container 4. Now the doctor takes the cannula out of the vein of the patient to stop supply of blood to the pipette.

With an inside diameter of the pipette of 3 mm and a length of 220 mm, the pipette has an overall volume of 1.55 ml. If the beaker-like container 4 has an inside diameter of 10 mm, then when the length of the beaker-like container is 31.5 mm, from the base to the stop dogs, the beaker volume corresponds to double the pipette volume.

After the blood removal, the doctor pulls the container 4 until flange 3 engages the stop so that the fluid in the pipette is transferred to the beaker-like container so that the beaker-like container contains the mixture of blood and sodium citrate solution. The beaker-like container is only half full if the beaker-like container holds double the volume of the pipette. By swinging and turning the pipette, the blood and the sodium citrate solution become intimately mixed. The end of the pipette is then pushed downwards into the beaker-like container until the blood mixture rises up to the mark 0 in the pipette. It is not possible for the pipette to overflow, since no more blood is removed than, in combination with the sodium citrate solution, fills the pipette. Through contact with the inner wall of the beaker-like container, particularly of its base, some blood residues will remain in the beaker. The friction of the pistonend of said pipette forming an inlet aperture and the opening through the opposite pipette end forming an outlet aperture, an-annular flange projecting radially outwardly from said pipette adjacent to the outlet aperture, and a container having a closed end and an open end, said container receiving the pipette outlet aperture end and having a cross-sectional shape complemental to and fluidtightly fitting around the periphery of said pipette annular flange, said container including inwardly projecting stop means adjacent to its open end for limiting movement of said pipette annular flange toward said container open end.

2. The medical apparatus defined in claim 1, in which the volume of the container between its closed end and the stop means is at least twice as great as the volume of the pipette.

3. The medical apparatus defined in claim 1, and connector means carried on the inlet aperture end of the pipette for connecting the pipette to a fluid supply. 

1. Medical apparatus for receiving fluid from a fluid supply and measuring blood sedimentation comprising a pipette having a transparent wall portion carrying a scale of graduations thereon, the opening through one end of said pipette forming an inlet aperture and the opening through the opposite pipette end forming an outlet aperture, aN annular flange projecting radially outwardly from said pipette adjacent to the outlet aperture, and a container having a closed end and an open end, said container receiving the pipette outlet aperture end and having a crosssectional shape complemental to and fluidtightly fitting around the periphery of said pipette annular flange, said container including inwardly projecting stop means adjacent to its open end for limiting movement of said pipette annular flange toward said container open end.
 2. The medical apparatus defined in claim 1, in which the volume of the container between its closed end and the stop means is at least twice as great as the volume of the pipette.
 3. The medical apparatus defined in claim 1, and connector means carried on the inlet aperture end of the pipette for connecting the pipette to a fluid supply. 